CAR_CLAMS_L1C: Aircraft and Lighthouse Measurements for Satellite Validation

CLAMS is a NASA field campaign focused on validating Terra satellite data products. The campaign, planned for July 2001, centered on a sea platform 20 km east of Virginia Beach to measure radiation, meteorology, and ocean waves. Its objectives included obtaining accurate radiative fluxes, characterizing ocean optics, and describing atmospheric aerosol properties.

Use Cases

• Validate satellite-derived shortwave radiative fluxes based on surface and atmospheric radiation measurements.
• Characterize atmospheric aerosol optical properties based on the campaign's aerosol measurement objectives.
• Model ocean reflectance and optics based on measurements taken in the vicinity of the Chesapeake Lighthouse.
• Assess cloud-free sky atmospheric conditions based on the campaign's focus on clear-sky validation.

Strengths

• Data originates from a NASA-sponsored field campaign involving multiple instrument teams (CERES, MISR, MODIS).
• Campaign design focused on a specific, continuous measurement site (Chesapeake Lighthouse) for targeted validation.
• File formats include documentation types (PDF, HTML) alongside data formats (JPEG, BIN, ISO).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The primary campaign was planned for a specific period (July 2001), limiting temporal coverage.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Field campaign measurements from aircraft and a fixed sea platform.

Time Range

Primary campaign planned for July 2001.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 06:16:10.972782; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Chesapeake Lighthouse sea platform 20 km east of Virginia Beach, USA.